


Romantic Arrangements

by aphrosCartographer



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas Fluff, M/M, secret santa 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 04:58:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5526212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aphrosCartographer/pseuds/aphrosCartographer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Tony and Bruce meet in their third year of university? What happens when Bruce gets snowed in his shitty apartment on Christmas and can't get home?<br/>This story answers those questions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Romantic Arrangements

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CrumblingAsh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrumblingAsh/gifts).



> This was written for the Science Bros Secret Santa of 2015 :) Shoutout to the lovely owner of the sciencebrosweek.tumblr.com blog for setting the whole thing up! This was fun, and I hope you like it, Ash!

Bruce always opted for the table in the back corner of the chemistry lab during class. Three hours of his week was spent at that table, as he quietly worked on whatever lab assignment they were given to complete that day. He’d conduct the assigned experiment, fill out the lab report, turn it in, and then leave. That was the nice thing about being a college student: when you finished your work, you got to go home. While other kids were messing around trying to figure out how to sneak out large quantities of pure caffeine, he was quietly getting his work done. 

Besides, he’d learned how to do most of this stuff years ago. There were only so many times he could pretend to be interested in learning about cytoplasm. He also hadn’t been that impressed by the professor’s attempt to ignite some sort of excitement in students by blowing up a pumpkin on the first day of classes. That really wasn’t the kind of chemistry that interested him. He wanted to be analyzing the chemical composition of the brain or studying the effects of atomic waste on local ecosystems, not balancing equations. And yet, there he was, stuck in undergraduate-level chemistry classes. 

He walked into the lab a few minutes early, his backpack slung over one shoulder. The instructions for the day’s experiment were waiting for him at his table, and he gave them a quick once-over. Today’s experiment was another series of repetitive tests that Bruce could perform in his sleep. _Good, at least I’ll be out of here early today._ Other students had begun trickling into the room, but he ignored them as he made his way up to the front of the lab to collect his materials. As he walked back, arms laden with various tools, he saw someone put their backpack down at his table. He rolled his eyes, annoyed. _The semester is nearly over, who the hell hasn’t figured out their spot yet? We’re all upperclassmen here, and we should all know better than to switch seats randomly._

The guy standing at Bruce’s table was wearing dark wash jeans and the t-shirt of some band Bruce didn’t recognize. He smiled and waved as Bruce walked back over like he recognized him. Bruce carefully set down his load and accepted the man’s offered hand. 

“Hey, I’m Tony Stark. I’m normally up near where the explosions happen but I figured, it being near the end of the semester and all, I would see what the back of the classroom has to offer. See things from a new perspective,” he smiled, and Bruce couldn’t help but smile back as he shook Tony’s hand. 

“Bruce Banner. Unfortunately, I’m afraid not a whole lot of big explosions happen back here.” 

“Well, you always seem to finish your work an hour before everyone else in this class. You must be doing something right even without the explosions.” 

Bruce raised an eyebrow at that, “You keep track of how long it takes everyone to do their work? What are you, my lab stalker?” 

Tony laughed, “Nothing that exciting, I’m afraid. I was hoping lab partner would be enough for today.” 

The way he said ‘partner’ made Bruce’s ears turn red. Maybe he was reading too much into the situation, and he pretended to search for a pen in his backpack to give himself some room to relax, “Ah… well, normally I work by myself. Not quite sure how I’ll…ah…measure up to what you’ve had in the past.” _Oh my god Bruce, it’s not possible to say something more embarrassing than what you just said._

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Tony winked and Bruce nearly dropped the beaker he was holding. Alarm bells were going off in his head. _Is he actually flirting with you?? Are you actually flirting back?!_

Bruce cleared his throat and read through the instructions again, all too aware of Tony’s eyes carefully watching his every movement. His glasses slid down his nose as he read, and he hastily pushed them back into place. He didn’t want to be stuck in this lab for any longer than necessary, even if he now had someone to talk to. “So the first part of this experiment is a basic demonstration we have to observe. We are supposed to watch the reaction of ethane and chlorine which, spoiler alert, produces a small explosion. You’ll need to get yourself a pair of goggles for this one, just in case.” He glanced up at his lab partner to make sure he was paying attention, and was rewarded with one of the worst cases of bedroom eyes he had ever seen. He felt his face go bright red and set down the instructions he was holding, “Ah…I’ll be right back, just forgot I had a quick phone call to make. Just get your goggles and I’ll be back soon.” 

He stood in the hallway, annoyed. He was going to have to spend the entire three hours in the lab for the first time because some asshole had decided to become his lab partner. _Well, it isn’t exactly like you said no. You could have cut him off, but you didn’t. Also, he’s clearly flirting with you and you’re obviously flirting back. Besides, it’s not like he’s bad-looking._ He pulled out his phone and texted his roommate, Clint. 

>Help. 

>what did you do? 

>Why are you assuming I did something 

>b/c ur asking me for help 

>Okay well there’s a guy flirting with me in my lab and I don’t know what to do 

>get it dr. banner 

Why did he think Clint would be any help? 

He locked his phone, shoving it back into his jeans pocket with a huff. How, after three years of living with Clint, had he not exploded in irritation? He always helped Clint when he was having problems with Natasha (or, more frequently, when she was pissed at him because he had gone and done something stupid) and he couldn’t get something more than a ‘get it dr. banner’? He looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and walked back inside the classroom. Tony was at their table, pouring what looked like bleach onto… oh shit. 

“TONY STOP!” Bruce launched himself across the room but it was too late. A large amount of yellowish gas began pouring from the top of the beaker Tony was holding. Tony, who had obviously decided quantity over quality was the way of the world, was coughing and spluttering. His eyes rolled back in his head and, luckily, Bruce managed to catch him before he hit the ground. The beaker fell from Tony’s hand and smashed onto the ground, pieces of its remains skittering across the floor. He stood there for a few moments, awkwardly cradling his fainted lab partner in what he could only think to describe as a ‘Dancing With the Stars’–level dip, before their teaching assistant ran over to help him lay him on the floor. 

Tony came to after about a minute of Bruce frantically worrying that he was somehow responsible for the wrongful death of his lab partner. Relief washed over him when Tony’s eyes opened. They were unfocused for a moment as he slowly came back to reality and remembered what had happened. When he looked at Bruce, there was confusion and a hint of something else in his eyes for a second before he stammered out an apology, his confident demeanor completely gone in his state of embarrassment. Bruce shook his head, denying that there was anything to apologize for and offered to walk him down to the health center to get checked out. He helped Tony to his feet, keeping one hand on the small of his back to make sure he didn’t fall again. 

Once they were out of earshot of the lab, Bruce slapped him upside the head. 

“What the hell were you thinking? Can’t you read?! You can’t just play around with chemicals like that, it’s dangerous!” 

Tony pulled away from him and rubbed the back of his head, “Well, the directions seemed silly. There weren’t that many ingredients so I didn’t think it would matter if I did the experiment in the ventilation hood or not. Now I know better. End of story.” 

Bruce sighed in exasperation, “If you’re going to be my lab partner, you have to promise to follow the directions while we are in lab especially if-“ 

“Wait, wait, wait. You still want me to be your lab partner?” 

**> Four Years in the Future**

“Fuck,” Bruce opened the door to his apartment and stared into the white drifts that had surrounded his building in the night. He slammed the door shut with another string of curses before dropping onto the couch in defeat. It was the day before Christmas and he’d promised Jennifer that he’d be home to see her and his aunt by tonight. The elements were against him; he was going to miss Christmas with them. 

Clint was gone, as he’d left for his brother’s house the day before. He hadn’t been stuck grading exams for the physics department like Bruce had. Bruce liked his teaching assistant position enough, but now he was stuck in an apartment all by himself for Christmas. Even Tony had flown back to California to suffer through the holidays. He hadn’t wanted to go to California, of course, and Bruce had offered a million times for him to come with him to his aunt’s, but Tony would only shake his head. “I haven’t been home for Christmas in two years, and besides I’ve already crashed your family’s Christmas multiple times,” he had smiled, running his fingers through his hair, “I would hate to be a burden to your poor aunt.” 

Tony didn’t know that he could never be a burden. Jen had liked him from the moment he walked in the door with flowers for both her and her mother. Bruce smiled at the memory; he was pretty sure he had been more nervous than Tony when he’d first introduced them. His aunt had taken a bit longer to warm up to Tony, but, between the constant sweet-talking and his obvious love for Bruce, she eventually began to care for him. Now she couldn’t stop talking about him. Every time Bruce called her, the second person she’d ask about was Tony. 

He sighed, thinking about the phone call he was about to make and how upset Jen was going to be. As if on cue, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Jen’s ID photo filled the screen and he took a deep breath before accepting the call. 

“Hey, Jen.” 

“I checked the weather. Does that mean you’re not coming home for Christmas?” 

Bruce sighed into the receiver, “Unfortunately. I can’t drive my little sedan in four feet of snow and no one’s out plowing the roads.” 

He heard her whine in annoyance, “Can’t you get your rich-ass boyfriend to sling around some cash or something so that you both can come home?” 

“Tony’s in California, Jen,” he paused, “He said he needed to go home and see his family.” 

“So… you’re all alone? Bruce! No one should be alone on Christmas!” 

Bruce shrugged before he remembered she wouldn’t be able to see him, “I’ve got plenty of food and the power’s still on. I’ll find something to do to keep myself busy.” 

Jen huffed into the phone, “You know mom’s not going to be happy about this. She made so much food we can barely close the fridge.” 

“I can’t control the weather. Just tell her to call me when she gets home from work, alright? I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Fine. Come home for New Year’s then?” 

Bruce smiled, “Yeah, that sounds like fun.” 

“Bring Tony?” 

“You still want him to come over for New Year’s after what happened last year?” 

Jen laughed, “Last year was the best New Year's ever. My friends can’t wait for this year.” 

Bruce shook his head, “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. Love you.” 

“Love you too. Merry Christmas! We’ll call you again tomorrow!” 

He hung up the phone feeling a bit better; Jen always made him smile. The fact that she loved Tony almost as much as he did made him feel easier about the Christmas present he was giving him. He felt bad that he wasn’t going to be able to tell Jen about his plans to propose to Tony before it happened. Especially since he was stealing her idea. Maybe he would tell her and his aunt when they called tomorrow, seeing as he wouldn’t be able to give Tony his present until he got back from California anyway. He laid back on the couch, turning on his t.v. and flipping channels it until he found something Christmas-y. 

Maybe by next Christmas, he’d have everything figured out. 

**> The Next Day**

“Merry Christmas, Brucie!” Tony shouted as he kicked against the door to his boyfriend’s apartment with the toe of his boot, his arms currently otherwise employed. He waited for a few moments before kicking the door again, raising his voice in slight irritation, “Bruce, seriously, it’s effing cold out here let me in.” He finally heard feet pounding down the stairs inside and smiled as the door swung open. 

“Tony? I thought you had gone home for Christmas?” Tony had very obviously woken him up; his hair was in complete disarray, his boxer shorts and two-sizes-too-big sweatshirt underscoring the fact he hadn’t been expecting company. He was adorable when he was sleepy, his eyes squinting behind his glasses and his mouth open in an incomplete yawn. Tony shifted the box he was carrying just enough to greet Bruce with a kiss and step inside. 

“You know, most people would react with delight when their significant other shows up on Christmas to surprise them. And I did go home, but a little birdie told me that you were stuck on campus for Christmas and Howard was driving me insane so here I am. I bought presents, champagne, and myself, what more could you need on Christmas?” He paused in the entryway and kissed him again, pressing the box into Bruce’s hands and walking past him into the kitchen. 

Bruce continued talking as Tony busied himself in the kitchen. “Wait, wait, wait. Didn’t you fly all the way to California? You told me you were going to California.” 

“And you told me you were going to visit your aunt and your cousin,” Tony chided as he popped the top of the bottle, making sure not to let it spill onto the floor, “And yet here we are.” 

It was almost possible to hear Bruce’s eye roll, “There’s nearly four feet of snow out there, Tony. That’s quite a lot, even by Massachusetts standards. I couldn’t get my Mazda out of the drift if I had a bulldozer at this point, which begs the question: how on earth did you get here?” 

“Never underestimate the pig-headedness of a Stark man. Besides, you needed someone to come save you from the possibility of a quiet, restful, and altogether uninteresting Christmas,” he carefully poured equal amounts of champagne and orange juice into a pair of mismatched glasses before he returned to the living room. Bruce was sitting on the couch, his eyes closed. Tony allowed himself another brief moment to appreciate how cute he was when he was disheveled before plopping down next to him. The springs on the couch groaned in irritation at his weight, and he could have sworn a cloud of dust came off it. “Geez, you and Barton ever clean this place?” 

Bruce accepted the proffered glass with a shrug, “It’s hard enough to find time to shower, let alone remember to air out the couch cushions. Who knew grad school, a teaching assistant position, and a social life would be so demanding?” 

Tony put his arm around Bruce and took a sip of his drink, opting not to comment on Bruce’s social life or lack thereof, “You know, I’ve told you about a million times you could ditch him and come actually live with your boyfriend. God knows we’ve been dating long enough. I mean, four years is a long time in romantic arrangements, right? It’s high time-“ 

“I’m not having this argument with you again on Christmas. And never call this,” he gestured at the two of them, “a ‘romantic arrangement’ ever again. That just sounds so weird.” 

“Well, we are sitting here in your shitty apartment on Christmas morning, drinking mimosas and chatting. It’s hard to get a whole lot weirder than that.” 

Bruce smiled and stood up, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll concede to that I guess. Come on, I may as well give you your present, seeing as we are likely to be snowed in here for a few days.” 

“What if we’re the last people on earth?” The stairs creaked beneath his feet as he followed Bruce up into his bedroom, “What if we have to re-populate the earth?” 

“You don’t need to have a doctorate in biology to understand why that wouldn’t be possible. And we’re not the last people on earth yet, so don’t get too excited.” They walked down the small second-floor hallway and turned into Bruce’s small room. Bruce nearly always kept his room clean. Out of the many times Tony had been in here, there were only few occasions where it had been in complete disarray. There had been times when the dresser in the corner of the room was covered in his clean laundry, or when the desk next to his bed was covered in coffee mugs that he had forgotten to wash and papers that still needed to be graded. Tony had been so worried about Bruce’s well-being one term that he had broken into (okay, he had a key so it wasn’t technically breaking in) Bruce’s apartment one night and covered his room in post-it notes. Most of them were reminders to eat, sleep, or get up from his desk every few hours; others were a little more risque. Finals week had always manifested itself in a disaster, as did project presentations and most major holidays. Bruce often said that his room was a reflection of his present mental state. Today, it was nearly immaculate, save for the unmade bed that was entirely Tony’s fault. 

Tony sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling one of Bruce’s blankets around his shoulders. He watched as Bruce opened the door to his closet and pulled out a small, flat package. He had taken the time to wrap it in some wrapping paper printed with little reindeer designs. The bed dipped slightly as Bruce sat down next to Tony, placing the present in his lap. 

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered, letting his head lean against Tony’s shoulder. Tony pressed a kiss onto the top of Bruce’s head before tearing into the package. It was a book, bound in red leather with his name and date of birth printed on the front and tied shut with a small red ribbon. 

“Did you write an entire book about me?” 

“Oh my god Tony, just open it.” 

Obligingly, Tony pulled on the ribbon which quickly came undone. As he pulled the ribbon out of the way, he heard something hit the side of Bruce’s bed and clatter onto the floor. “What was that?” 

Bruce shrugged, his face completely devoid of emotion. Tony huffed and slid down to the floor to investigate the sound. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned the light on so he could search in the darkness underneath Bruce’s bed. “Ugh, Bruce you’ve got some major dust bunnies down here, they’re almost more like dust rabbits at this point and-” the light of his phone glinted off something metallic and his breath caught in his chest. He reached out picked it up, unable to form words. It was a small golden band. Tony sat back on his heels and looked up at Bruce. “Is this…?” 

Bruce smiled, gently taking the ring from Tony and kneeling on the ground next to him. “Technically, you weren’t supposed to drop it and technically you’re supposed to be standing while I propose but,” he chuckled softly, “Since when have we ever done anything by the book?” 

Tony gently took Bruce’s hands and kissed him, pulling him into a standing position. He broke the kiss with a smile, “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m putting my answer on hold for a second. Just wait here, I’m going to get your present.” He winked, ignoring Bruce’s sigh of disbelief as he launched himself back down the stairs and grabbed the present. Bruce was still standing where Tony had left him, silently spinning the small golden band between his fingers. “Open it.” 

Bruce raised an eyebrow, “You aren’t going to answer me?” 

“I think my gift will do the talking for me, honestly.” 

He swapped the ring for his box, sitting back down on the edge of Bruce’s bed to watch. Bruce sighed again before sitting down on the floor to unwrap his present. He tore off the wrapping paper and opened the large box. His look of exasperation made Tony laugh out loud as he pulled another box out of the one he had just finished unwrapping. 

“Are you fucking serious, Tony?” 

“Keep going. You’ve got a ways to go.” 

Tony honestly had forgotten how many boxes concealed the gift. He didn’t realize how many boxes he had stashed away in his house until he had begun formulating his plan for Bruce’s present. Annoying Bruce had always been a great source of joy in his life, and now was no exception. He watched as Bruce opened box after box and became increasingly irate. His brows furrowed, his jaw muscle twitched, and Tony had to hide his smile behind his fist. 

“I actually might murder you.” 

“You’d miss me.” 

“Tony, how many of these goddamn boxes did you wrap?” He picked up the latest box and threw it at Tony’s head. He was barely able to dodge it before it smacked into the wall behind him. 

“Just keep going.” 

After what felt like an eternity, Bruce reached the final package. It was a small velvet box and Bruce turned it over in his hands, a small smile on his face. “You’re joking.” 

“Open it.” 

The box opened with a soft click, and tears welled in the corners of Bruce’s eyes. Tony laughed and joined him on the floor, pulling him into a tight hug. The boxes had made a mess of Bruce’s room, but neither of them could be bothered to care. 

Bruce pulled back just enough to slip the small ring onto his finger, and wipe his eyes. “We’re ridiculous sometimes, you know that?” 

“Oh, I’m well aware,” Tony laughed, glancing at the ring on his own finger. 

“I guess four years is a pretty long time for a romantic arrangement, huh?” 

“Yeah, okay, you’re right. That does sound dumb,” he conceded, “But you know what? ‘Engagement’ sounds so much better.”


End file.
